Last week didn’t get off to a good start. The Irish Times broke the story of the girl who sought an abortion and was subsequently, but not consequently, sectioned. I would have thought the best outcome was both mother and baby alive, but those who would think themselves liberal and progressive didn’t hesitate to hijack…
One of the most prevalent myths about the Catholic Church is that it has either no interest in science or is antagonistic towards it. The Sky at Night: Inside God’s Observatory (BBC 4 last Sunday night) blew that one comprehensively out of the water. The programme was introduced as “the highlight” of an evening of astronomy…
I thought I’d be writing this a week ago, but the start of the much anticipated drama Broken (BBC One, Tuesday nights) was postponed by a week out of sensitivity over the Manchester bombing, though I’m not quite sure as to why. Seán Bean stars as Fr Michael Kerrigan, an inner city priest struggling with…
Last week I wrote about a drama (Little Boy Blue) that told the true story of a murdered young boy. I wasn’t expecting another such story to come along so soon, but it was worth it. Damilola, Our Loved Boy (BBC One, last Sunday night) told the tragic story of Nigerian schoolboy Damilola Taylor, stabbed…
Last Friday night one of my favourite TV comedy series sadly came to an end. Parks and Recreation (RTÉ 2) had finally bowed out after seven seasons. I always found it funny, skilfully combining both wacky and subtle elements. The format was reminiscent of the American version of The Office and in fact the two…
A short but worthy season of The Leap of Faith (RTÉ Radio 1), came to a low key end last Friday night. This last episode included an interesting item on the Jehovah’s Witnesses. David Dunlea of the Jehovah Witnesses in Ireland and presenter Michael Comyn discussed the oppression of the Witnesses in Russia where it…
Last week I wrote about some good British dramas on TV. They tend to put American dramas in the shade – the latter are marred too frequently by embarrassing corniness. I’ve been following Designated Survivor on Netflix and after a promising start, dramatically speaking (US President and Congress blown up in a terrorist attack), it…
It was a week of high drama, in reality and in fiction. The absorbing crime drama Line of Duty came to the end of its fourth series on BBC 1 last Sunday night and what an impact! This show has been consistently the best crime drama that I’ve seen on TV in the last few…
It was another week of controversies on hot social and political topics. News and current affairs programmes dealt extensively with the controversy about the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) to a site at St Vincent’s. Inherent in most debates was the unchallenged assumption that there was a clash between best medical practice and…
Easter is one of those times of the year when there’s a brief increase in religious programming – mostly the usual biblical epics, comprehensive coverage of the religious ceremonies and vigorous debates about the Good Friday pub-opening ban. One of the best this year was the film Bronx to Bradford: Friars on a Mission on…